8 Ways to Rethink the Dining Room
It's Your Space! Repurpose Your Dining Room for How You Want to Live
Hello there! I'm Erika Ward, Owner and Principal Designer of Erika Ward Interiors. It's my greatest pleasure to inspire you to live well, to live in style, and to extinguish the myth that style and budget are mutually exclusive. Read more about my design philosophy and my work at http://www.blulabelbungalow.com
Hello there! I'm Erika Ward, Owner and Principal Designer of Erika Ward... More »
Growing up in the land of Southern Hospitality, I thought I would never in my life propose the idea of repurposing the dining room. Having an eat-in kitchen, I like many others can count on two hands the number of times we use the dining room each year. Why deem a room necessary when it's only useful 10 days out of 365?
If you are a dinner party host or hostess extraordinaire, I expect you to find this ideabook to be absurd. [Insert eye-rolling here.] For others, it still may take some time getting used to thinking outside the box. In the end, a builder's floor plan may designate the room for dining, but it's up to you to assign a use for the space based on how your family lives.
If you are a dinner party host or hostess extraordinaire, I expect you to find this ideabook to be absurd. [Insert eye-rolling here.] For others, it still may take some time getting used to thinking outside the box. In the end, a builder's floor plan may designate the room for dining, but it's up to you to assign a use for the space based on how your family lives.
| Let's get warmed up to the idea of repurposing the dining room by removing the table setting and all but one chair. Now you have the home office you've been wanting. Use a couple of drawers in the adjacent buffet for file storage. Return chairs to table when company arrives. Easy. Done. |
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by Ninainvorm
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| For an instant playroom, bring in a couple of storage units for organization. Choose a table that isn't too delicate and looks better after a few beatings. Remember the worn look is on-trend these days. When company comes for dinner, cover table with a pretty tablecloth and scrub crayon markings from the wall. Last, add ambiance. Everything looks better in candlelight. |
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by Gramophone
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| If your gatherings are more casual, why not make a pool table the focal point of your space? To prevent your dining room from looking like the local billiards hall, upgrade to a nicer table and toss a great area rug underneath. |
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Cherished heirlooms such as your grandmother's piano, deserve to be on display, not in a storage facility. Besides, having it in your home gives it a cultured look and assumes you have an appreciation of real music. Impress your friends by learning a few songs.
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Let the good times roll. A custom bar and handsome club chairs make your dining room feel updated and more conducive to the way you live, especially if your house is kid-free. In this upscale lounge everyone knows your name and no expensive membership is required.
Clear the table and chairs and find your center in a mediation room like this. A daily reminder to relax and meditate or perform a few yoga stretches will do wonders for renewing your mind after a stressful day.
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by Kerrie L. Kelly
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| For a bookworm, turning the dining room into a library may prove to be a useful solution. And if you also have family members who treat your house like a hotel, install a Murphy bed within your built-ins. This also helps to alleviate the problem of finding somewhere to stuff that pesky air mattress each morning. |
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Here's the idea I love the most. As a kid, I remember taking private dance lessons at my teacher's home. At that time I knew nothing about supplemental income. But now I see that her dining room created earning potential in her home. This ballet barre is in a spare bedroom, but the idea applies. Could there be money hidden in your dining room?
Tell us: Are you using your dining room for something else?
More:
Find Your Design Style
Double-Duty Living Rooms
Tell us: Are you using your dining room for something else?
More:
Find Your Design Style
Double-Duty Living Rooms
Ideabook updated on June 2, 2011.
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way able to be formal. Any ideas?
Here is what we did with the formal dining room!
http://bit.ly/eUmHTa
We bought the house last summer and knew right away we wanted to remake the dining room into a study for my husband. We have a nice size eating area off the kitchen...and having moved from an old, formal house to this new, informal one, we were ready for a change! We had to build walls, add French doors, put in transoms for light...and it is perfect!
Great ideas! Keep them coming. I love this site!